wind

wind blowing through her ears, er hair, mega is her happiest. escaping to the mountains this weekend we took advantage of the idyllic weather to put the top down, fasten mega to her seatbelt, and let the wind usher us all into another realm.

the wind stayed with us all weekend. a soft, breezy wind; unlike the winds that cut through your outer layers or sneak in your collar. unlike the winds that push you off balance, gusting harshly when you least expect it.

soft, breezy springtime wind is different. it gently wakes you in the morning. it cools your sweaty brow when the sun peaks. and it announces the arrival of sexy dusk.

and the soft, breezy wind of mountain air smells so good.

but perhaps the soft, breezy wind i loved the most this weekend was the wind hitting my face as i sped downhill on a mountain bike. i hadn't been on a mountain bike, or any bike actually, since i was 20. and as we all know, that's been a teen lifetime ago.

i wanted very much to take the mountain biking excursion when haley and i discussed options for the weekend. i remembered that on discovery, a college wilderness trip, despite several dreadful hills that required pushing, i absolutely loved the mountain biking. on the three week backpacking trip that included white water paddling, flat water paddling (yawn), rock climbing and mountain biking - the latter was the very best part. the very best. and i've always wanted to do it again.

so, we did. we rented bikes, were dropped off by a shuttle, and took a fourteen mile ride on a forest service road. it started with a fairly intense climb and i approached it with curious intensity. i wondered how i would fare against the mountain in my recently aged body. after all, i was twenty when i did it before and i remember it being quite hard.

and then the wind. the soft, breezy wind on the down side of the climb and i realized i was smiling. because i was still on my bike. i was breathing hard but i wasn't in pain. i was moving slow at times, but i was moving.

the climb? lost in the wind.

the soft, breezy wind of the downhill rush blew into my soul somehow and now i can't stop thinking about it. i wanted to go work out today, but just couldn't get excited about a stationary bicycle in a canned air, neon painted, gym.

i'm officially in the market for a bike, i think it's fair to say. i don't want to spend a lot, but i don't want a junker either. i'm scanning the used classifieds and asking the universe to send me the right bike at the right price.

and until it arrives, mega and i will enjoy the soft, breezy wind off the passing cars in atlanta traffic. i do have a convertible after all.

d: downhill winds to propel me up the mountains.
b: i stayed on my bike the entire 14 miles. easier said than done.
g: a soft, breezy weekend.